Oahu, Hawaii

While in Hawaii on business I had the opportunity to travel Hawaii Route 61 which is better known as the PALI Highway. I had a few hours to kill before my flight so I took a drive around the back side of the Island from Honolulu past Koko Head.

I was running short on time so I looked at the map and decided to take Route 61 back over the impossible looking Ko olau range to downtown Honolulu and then the airport. Clouds had shrouded the vertical peaks all day but the clouds were breaking up as the sun began to sink low in sky.

The mountains of Hawaii are incredible, they go straight up and straight down thereby creating an almost insurmountable obstacle for transportation. Back in the day, the Islanders created a foot path up the impossible looking cliffs and over the Pali divide down to Honolulu so they could transport sugar, bananas, rice, fish, pigs, chickens and other produce over the mountain to the markets of Honolulu.

This trail was incredibly steep and slippery. The Hawaiians traversed it with ease but foreigners struggled mightily up the trail in mortal fear all the way. In 1845 the road was widened to 6 feet and paved with stone making travel by horse and mule more feasible. In 1897 the road was blasted to 20 feet wide making all kinds of twists and switchbacks up the steep cliffs.

The widening of the road allowed wagons to be pulled up and over the mountains. Travel along the road was always treacherous and you had to be on your guard as extremely strong winds would slam the traveler at every turn as they flowed up and over the cliffs and ridge tops. The old road had an average grade of 8% and was 8800 feet long.

The modern road that passes through the Nu'uanu Pali Tunnels was constructed in 1957 and is now a busy highway where thousands of cars transit up and through the mountain each day. As I emerged through the tunnels on the Honolulu side I noticed a sign that said "PALI Lookout" so I decided I would check it out.

A quiet, nearly deserted road wound it's way up through the forest to a parking lot and a short paved trail that led to an observation point on the spine of the mountain which is the PALI Overlook. I parked my vehicle and walked up the trail to where I could look over the immense cliffs that dropped precipitously on the leeward side of the island from Honolulu.

It was a gorgeous view in every direction as sun rays would burst out of the clouds on selected spots of land and sea as if they were search lights looking for something in particular. White smoke like tendril clouds curled about the sharp bright green peaks above the overlook. As I looked down the cliffs from the observation point the wind struck me mightily as it crashed into these cliffs after it's long ocean journey and was forced up and over the mountain at this point.

While picturesque, this spot had something of an eerie feeling to it. I later learned that there are many ghost stories associated with the old Pali road. After leaving the observation point on my drive back to Honolulu, I stopped on the side of the road to admire some interesting stands of large trees that had large leafed vines curling up around them and the unusual understory of the Hawaiian forest.

This is where I thought of the stories of the Menehune or "Little People" that I had heard. Apparently, there is a legend in Hawaii about the Menehune. These tiny people supposedly inhabit the forests of Hawaii and they only come out at night. It is said that they are master builders and can construct complex structures overnight.

Many Hawaiians are suspicious of and fear the Menehune so they avoid the forests. It is said that the Menehune were the original settlers of the Hawaiian islands and that they are descendents from the Marquesas islands who arrived between 0-400 AD. When the Tahitians invaded Hawaii in roughly 1100 AD, according to legend, they forced the Menehune into the forests where they have been exiled ever since.

As I walked through the woods, admiring immense trees of type and varieties that I was clueless about, I pondered the mystery of the Menehune and even though they were purportedly banished to the forests... I thought to myself that this lovely and mysterious place wouldn't be such a bad place to be banished to.

Who knows if the legend is true... one thing is for certain though, Hawaii Route 61 is an interesting change from the palm beaches that people are so familiar with when they think of Hawaii. The sweeping views from the Pali overlook are incredible. If you visit the backside of the island - say Hanauma Bay, Sandy Beach or any of a hundred other fascinating places, skip the H3 Freeway on the way back to Honolulu and try the Pali Highway instead. You will not be disappointed.